Ci gar-refrigerator



(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

4 0 L. PRATT.

CIGAR REFRIGERATOR. No. 474,923. Patented May 17, 1892.

fave/Z5071 2 Sheets-Sheet '2. 0. L. PRATT.

CIGAR REFRIGERATOR.

No. 474,923. Patented May 17, 189.2.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES L. PRATT, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

CIGAR-REFRIGERATOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 474,923, dated May 17, 1892.

Application filed June 22, 1891. Serial No. 397,029. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

of glass.

Be it known that I, CHARLES L. PRATT, of Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain Improvements in Cigar-Refrigerators, of which the following is a specification.

To this end my invention consists in acase preferably containing an upper and lower compartment, in combination with drawers adapted to contain water and ice, doors in the back of the case, and ventilators arranged in the same and in the sides of the case, whereby a constant circulation of air moistened and cooled by said ice and wateris maintained within the refrigerator.

My invention consists in various constructions and in combinations hereinafter described, and particularly pointed out in'the claims, and will be more readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a refrigerator embodying my invention, a portion of the same being shown in vertical section. Fig. 2 is a transverse vertical section of the same on the line X X of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a sectional plan view on the line Y Y of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a detail showing the construction of the ventilators. Fig. 5 shows a section of perforated zinc, which material I sometimes prefer to employ in place of the wire screening shown in the firstthree figures of the drawings. Figs. 6 and 7 show sectional wire floors.

As shown in the drawings, the caseis made up of two compartments, the lower one 2 having the solid wooden walls 3 and the base 4 extending down to the floor. The upper compartment 5 has the walls and top 6 composed The rear wall of the case is solid wood, with the exception of the ventilators, and is provided with the doors 7, through which access may be had to the compartments. The wire floors 8 and 9 are permanently arranged in the lower parts of each compartment, being supported on the cross-rods 10 and extending across the case. In addition to the wire floors the wire walls 11 are provided around the walls of the lower part of the case. This wire-cloth is secured on the upright slats 12, whereby a space 13 is left between the wire walls and the walls 3. A wire wall is also arranged on each of the lower doors 7, which form a part of the rear wallof the case, and the wire wall of each door is adapted to swing with the door.

Beneath each wire floor 8 and 9, or, if desired, only below the lower one, I arrange one or more shallow drawers 14, either composed of metal or lined with the same, as shown. The tops of these drawers are open directly beneath the wire floors, and in the rear panel 15 of each drawer I arranged a slide-ventilator 16, through which air is adapted to enter and,passing over the water and ice in the drawers, rise into the compartments. The drawers are arranged to slide in and out on the cross-supports 17 and may be entirely removed, if necessary, to clean the same. i In addition to the ventilators 16 in the drawers I also provide the slide-ventilators 18 in the tops of the upper doors 7. The warm air collecting in,the upper part of the refrigerator passes out through these top vents 18. In the lower compartment and the front wall thereof I arrange a similar ventilator or Ventilators 19, adapted for use in exhausting the air from the lower compartment. This ventilator is concealed by the front panel 20 of the case, which overhangs the lower part of the case and projects down below the ventilator 19. A considerable space isv left between the same and the wall 3 for the free exit of the air. In many cases I prefer to employ only the lower drawers, the upper row of drawers being left out. The compartments are then separated only by the floor, and hence the air will circulate freely from the ice-drawers through both compartments. Ordinarily onetier of boxes is arranged on the wire floor 8, the covers thereof usually being open to expose the cigars therein to view, while in the lower compartment are stored a number of unopened boxes. It will be seen that no matter how tightly the boxes are packed in the lower compartment air will still pass freely from the drawer 14 through the passages 13 and into the upper compart1nentthat is, in the cases where the upper drawers are not used or where they are separated slightly. The air naturally flows in over the cooling substance in the drawers and thence rises into the upper parts of the compartments, from thence being exhausted through the ventilators 18 and 19. The ventilators 18 are placed close up in the tops of the doors and the openings-through the doors are practically concealed from view by the frame of the glass top. The ventilator-slides employed are similar to stove-dampers, and by adjusting the same to open or close the air-passages just the required amount of air and the case left to stand for any length of time, and the cigars will meantime be kept in good condition by the. constant flow of fresh, moist, and cool air through the same.

I sometimes prefer to employ perforated zinc or other perforated metal in place of the wireclot-h or screen material; but as a greater volume of airmay pass through the latter I prefer its use.

In. Figs. 6 and 7 I have shown small sections of wire flooring-screens. Each section a is made up on a small frame adapted to be readily removed from the case and supported on thesmall bracket-lugs 25, as shown.

Having thus described my invention, 1 claim, as new and desire tosecure by Letters Patent- 1. The combination, in a cigar-refrigerator, of the refrigerator-case having imperforate walls at top and bottom. with a wire floor arranged in the lower part of the case,a drawer adapted to contain water and ice and arranged beneath said wire floor, and a ventilator arranged in the outer panel of said drawer, whereby fresh air is admitted above the water and ice, from thence passing to cool the cigars, substantially as described.

walls and tops for the upper compartment,

'adrawer or drawers arranged beneath the lower wire floor and adapted to contain water and ice, and ventilators arranged in said drawers and in the wallsof the case and having slides whereby the volume of air passing through the same may be regulated, substantially as andfor the purpose specified.

4. The combination, in a cigar-refrigerator, of upper and lower compartments with glass walls for the upper compartment, doors for each compartment, wire floors arranged in each, and a drawer or drawers provided heneath each of said floors, transverse slides therefor, ventilators 16 in said drawers, and

p a ventilator 18, substantially as described.

5. The combination, with a case having upper and lower compartments, of wire floors therein, water and ice drawers arranged beneath the same, ventilators 16 therein, doors 7., .ventilators 18, arranged in the tops thereof, ventilators 19, provided in the front walls of the case and concealed from view, and means for regulating the flow of air through said ventilators, substantially as and for the purpose specified. I f

In testimony whereof I have hereunto se j my hand this 17th day of June, 1891.

CHARLES L. PRATT.

In presence of C. G. HAWLEY, F. S. LYON. 

